▲ This photo, taken March 3, 2026, shows a digital poster for the Korean historical film "The King's Warden" at a theater in Seoul. (Yonhap)

Korean films-admissions

No. of moviegoers for Korean films jumps 75 pct in H1

SEOUL, July 5 (Yonhap) -- The number of moviegoers for South Korean films jumped 75 percent on-year in the first half of the year, led by the historical film "The King's Warden," which topped 16 million admissions, data showed Sunday.

Korean films drew 37.4 million admissions in the January-June period, compared with 21.4 million viewers the previous year, according to the data released by the Korean Film Council.

In the cited period, ticket sales of domestic films soared 81.7 percent on-year to 370 billion won (US$242 million).

In the first half, the number of newly released Korean movies fell to 217 from 240 the previous year, but viewer admissions and ticket sales jumped on the back of the popularity of "The King's Warden."

Directed by Jang Hang-jun, "The King's Warden" attracted 16.9 million admissions, becoming the second-most-watched film of all time in South Korea.

The Korean zombie thriller "Colony" also broke 5 million admissions, and the supernatural horror film "Salmokji: Whispering Water" surpassed 3 million admissions.

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